TEXAS INDIAN PAPERS, 1844-1845
87
No. 56 LETTER FROM THOMAS G. WESTERN TO BENJAMIN SLOAT Ft. Milam, Aug. 1, 1844 To Benj. Sloat Esq Agent--Council Ground Tehuacana Creek-Sir-Communications have been recd fr. H. E. the Prest. by me last eving. dated 29th ult. The intelligence br'ot by Jim Shaw is gratifying and the President duly appre- ciates the motive. H. E. instructs me to say that inasmuch as Conner has been detained: Jim Shaw can now accompany him to the Com[anche] that if the Com[anche] wish peace they will come in and be at Tehuacana Creek by the 15 Sept. next, you can assure Conner and Shaw in the name of H. E. that if there is a final peace made with the Comanche, thro' their in- strumentality the President will make them a handsome rec- ompense, it ·wm therefore be an object worthy of their consid- eration to bring it about by using the greatest exertion to insure them to come in by the 15th of Sept. I returned from the_Navasota the night before last. Am happy to find the indians have made no hostile essay on the trading house. You know the indian character too well to allow a little delay to divert you from your purpose of defending the place, or, to throw you off your guard for a moment, be always prepared to resist aggression, act on the defensive until at- tacked. Endeavour by every means in your power to induce some of the friendly indians to associate with you in sufficient numbers to defend the place or deter the hostile from attacking it. I have not been able to find a single Delaware or other friendly indian in all the Circuit I have made there is none at Tawakoni Vill where I expected to find them-I heard a ru- mor of some having been killed by whites somewhere on the Trinity, am told that Shaw and Conner have heard of it-by the return of Slater you will give me their version of this Story -also a written statement of Cavanaugh's and Jack Harry's ver- sions of the news they br'ot of the Waco intended hostility. I will make arrangements to send you a piece of artillery. I shall proceed to Washington as soon as Mr. Slater returns,
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